Car coupler



Dec. 9 1924. 1,518,300

A. J. BAZELEY CAR COUPLER Original Filed June 50, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1NV1T0R I W J 2*? My.

ATTOR'NEY Dec. 9, 1924. 1,518,360 v A. J. BAZELI IY' CAR COUPLER Original Filed June 30, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 9, 1924.

P A T Tl.

QFFICE.

ARTHUR J'. BAZELEY, OF CLEVELAND, OHEO, AS$IGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T NATIONAL MALLEABLE AND STEEL CA$TINGS COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO,

A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

OAR COUlLER.

Original application filed June 30, 1921, Serial No. 481,468. Divided and this application filed March 15,

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, ARTHUR J. BAZELEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Car Couplers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a horizontal section of my improved coupler head; Fig. 2 is a section on lines IIII of Fig. 1, showing the lock in locked or lowermost position; Figs. 3 and 4: are similar to Fig. 2 but with the locks in lock-set and knuckle-thrown position, re-

spectively.

My invention relates to car couplers, and particularly to providing a coupler which is not only extremely eflicient in coupling and uncoupling but is also especially designed to resist the unusual stresses of modern service conditions. To this end my improved coupler has the various features described in my co-pending application, Serial No. 481,468, filed June 80, 1921, of which the 5 present application is a division. The principal feature here involved is arranging the locking piece so that it seats in an indentation of the head and is thereby guided therein and also prevented from being dragged out of its seat by abnormal knuckle pressures. In addition to the foregoing, my invention comprises the construction and arrangement of the various features which I shall hereinafter describe and claim.

Referring to the drawings, A is the coupler head, B is the knuckle, C is the locking and opening piece, and D is the pivot pin for the knuckle. The lock C has a head 2 which acts as the locking piece, a depending leg 3 which acts as the opening piece, and a connecting horizontal portion 4 which extends across the knuckle tail upon which thelock normally rests. On the upper face of the horizontal portion 4 of the lock is a groove or recess 5, which when the lock is lifted engages the rib 6 011 the roof of the coupler cavity and causes the lock to fulcrum about it, thereby rotating the depending leg 3 of the lock C transversely of the coupler head A into engagement with the knuckle tail to swing it into open position. Attached in the eye 7 of the lock head 2 is Seriall No. 625,355.

a lock-lifter comprised of the links 8 and 9 the upper link of which fills the top hole 10 of the coupler head.

The coupler cavity on the guard arm side, which forms the bearing for the locking head 2, has a vertically disposed V-shaped indentation 11 which is engaged by the correspondingly shaped surfaces 12 on the side of the head 2 of the lock. This projection and recess engagement of lock and coupler head is for the purpose of preventing the look from being dragged forwardly out of the coupler head upon an abnormal pull on the knuckle. This engagement also serves to guide the lock into its various positions of locking, lock-setting and knuckle throwing.

In uncoupling, the F ock-lift raises the locking head 2 until it has cleared the looking face 14 of the knuckle and until the downwardly projecting leg 3 is withdrawn from the hole 15 in the bottom of the coupler head and the recess 5 on the top of the lock engages the rib 6 in the coupler head. A further upward pull by the lock-lifter causes the lock to pivot on the rib 6, and swing the leg 3 of the lock onto a shelf 16 on the bottom of the coupler head, as is shown in Fig. Then, as the link is re leased, the lock C is supported by the leg 3, which bears on the shelf 16, the locking piece in such position being raised above the tail of the knuckle in lock-set position, and the knuckle is then free to be. pulled open without interference from the look. It will be seen that in such position the projection and recess engagement of lock and coupler head is still maintained and acts as a guide for the lock in moving into and out of lock-set position.

When the lock is in lock-set position and the knuckle is then pulled open by the opposing coupler, the tail of the knuckle swings under the locking piece, and as the tail of the knuckle has an upward extension or beak 17 on the upper surface of its tail this extension will engage the bottom sur face of the head 2 of the locking piece, lift it, and cause the leg 3 to be unseated from the lock-set shelf 16 and swung into groove 18 on the bottom of the coupler cavity. WVhen the knuckle is again swung into locked position the tail of he knuckle pushes the leg on the lock along the groove 18 in the floor of the coupler cavity until, when the knuckle is fully closed, the leg 3 registers with the hole in the bottom of the head and drops therein, tansing the looking head 2 to likewise drop into locking position between the tail of the knuckle and the wall of the coupler head. Meanwhile during all these operations the projection 12 on the side of the lock has engaged and been guided by the V-shaped indentation if on the guard arm side of the coupler head. as is best shown in Fig. 1.

To unlock and throw the knuckle into open position the lock is raised until the head 2 of the lock clears the forward face of the knuckle. and the groove 5 on the top of the lock bears on the rib 6 in the top of the coupler head as a fulcrum. Upon further pull on the operating links 8 and 9 the leg 3 on the lock, which has been withdrawn from the hole 15 in the floor of the coupler head, is caused to swing along-the groove 18 in the floor, pushing before it the tail of the knuckle, thus causing the knuckle to swing into open position, as is shown in Fig. 4. Upon releasing the link 8 the under surface of the head 2 of the locking piece rests upon the beak 17 on the tail of the knuckle. When the knuckle is closed the tail of the knuckle swings from under the locking piece and pushes the leg along the groove 18 to the hole 15 in the floor of the coupler head, as described above.

It will be seen that constructing the lock with its extended bearing 12 on the forward side of the indentation 11 in the wall of the cavity on the guard arm side of the coupler, and engagement of this wall by the corresponding surface on the lock, will prevent the lock from being pushed forwardly out p of the coupler head or being distorted in shape by reason of abnormal pressures exerted upon it by the knuckle tail, and that. further, it is of great advantage for the accurate operation of the lock to provide guiding surfaces to hold the lock at all times in operative position.

The terms and expressions which I have employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and I have no intention, in the use of such terms and expres- 'sions, of excluding any mechanical equivalents of the features shown and described, or portions thereof, but recognize that various structural modifications are possible. within the scope of the invention claimed.

What I claim is:

1. In a car coupler of the Master Car Builders type, a head having therein a ver tically and rotatably movable. locking and opening piece and a pivoted knuckle, the coupler cavity having a vertically disposed recess on the guard arm side of the cavity, a projection on the lock extending into the said recess, said projection and recess engagement of the lock and coupler head serving to prevent the lock from being dragged forwardly out of the coupler head upon an abnormal pull of the knuckle, and means for operating the locking and opening piece.

2. In a car coupler of the Master lar Builders type, a head having therein a. vertically movable lock and a pivoted knuckle. operating means attached to the. lock, the coupler cavity having a vertically disposed recess on the guard arm side of the cavity. a. projection on the lock extending into the said recess, said projection and recess on gagement of the lock and coupler head serving to guide the look into and out of its locking, lock-setting and knuckle-thrown positions.

3. In a car coupler, a head having therein a vertical movable U-shaped lock, oper ating means attached to the lock, the con-- pler having at one side of the coupler cavity a V-shaped indentation extending substantially the height of the said cavity, one of the sides of the lock having a V-shaped projection cooperating with the said indentation to prevent the lock from being dislodged from the coupler head by abnormal draft pressures and also acting as a guide for the lock in its various positions.

4-. In a car coupler of the Master Car Builders type, a head having therein a vertically and rotatably movable locking and opening piece and a. pivoted knuckle, the coupler cavity on the side toward the guard arm of the coupler head and a vertical portion of the lock adjacent thereto having a projection and recess engagement, said projection and recess engagement of the lock and coupler head serving to prevent the lock from being dragged forwardly out of the coupler head upon an abnormal pull of the knuckle, and means for operating the look ing and opening piece,

ARTHUR J. BA ZELEY. 

